And I'mmmm back !

The muse called me tonight so here I am
I know I've been talking about one shots but this one is a continuation from the previous chapter. When the muse call … well better open the computer and start writing ;)

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So there she was, finishing her warm up for her first major international finale within the female Japan football team : the Olympic Games in the prestigious Maracana in Rio. Talk about pressure! They had a beautiful journey so far. Winning against the USA in semi-finale had been a huge achievement already but this finale was gigantic. Brazil being the organizer AND the football craze country, the odds were definitely not in favor of Japan.

Sanae had started the competition on the bench and because of an injury on one of her team mate she had inherited the midfield position together with the captaincy. This was another pressure on her. She knew Tsubasa was there somewhere as he had been offered a consultant summer job with the Japanese tv station that was broadcasting the games in the country. She would have loved having him here with her right now. Something was off. She felt a shift in the air and she didn't like it a bit. She had notice people pointing at her and whispering, people talking to her in a very animated but somehow negative way.

Oh there he is! "Tsubasa!" she called after her boyfriend. There was no camera in sight, no microphone so he was not on duty. He smiled at her and gestured for her to come back inside the tunnel and leave the field for a couple minutes. She gladly obliged being done with the warm up.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. There, that frown was back. She knew he was hiding something. "I'm fine, honestly, just a little pressured but I guess I'll have to get used to it" she smiled trying to calm him down. Seriously, this should be the other way around! He should be the one soothing her.

"Tsubasa querido, nòs nos achamos depois la partida", said a girl behind her, "mwah" she added sending him a kiss from a few meters away. Sanae saw him frown again and turned around to look at the girl, in disbelief. What the hell? She thought. Is this one of these fan girls he talked me about?

"Oups sorry, I thought he was waving at me like he used to do in Sao Paulo", she malevolently said. "Anyways, you're the one he left the team for yes?" she asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Sanae. Behind her she didn't see Tsubasa sighing.

"Deixa o em paz Daiara!" he nearly ordered the girl. Then he took Sanae's arm and made his way back to the locker room; except he stopped before and entered another room.

"Feeling at home I see," glared Sanae, "would you tell me what the hell is going on here?" she fumed.

He sighed. "I really, really hoped it would not come to this but here goes," he said handing her a Brazilian newspaper. Her picture was in front, together with his.

"I don't understand Portugese," she started. "I know," he said, "and I'm still wondering if I should translate this to you right before the finale."

"Oh come on, you showed it to me, it's too late!" she fumed.

"Right, they are saying I left the Brancos for you and started bashing you," He sighed again and looked at his watch. "Listen, it's going to be hell for you back on the field. That girl you saw, she's Daiara Mendez, the Brazilian Captain. I know her because she's in the Sao Paulo female team. She had a thing for me and she didn't take rejection for an answer …"

"Oh, so this is just jealousy we're talking about?" Sanae asked.

"More or less," he clearly was not done. Sanae looked at his watch as well having taken hers off her wrist for the game. "Come on Tsubasa I really need to go back.

"The Brazilian public is really tough when against you." He started. "Yeah well it's not the first time I'm playing a game outside my local stadium," she wanted to reassure him.

"Sanae, sweetheart, when I say against you, it means YOU as a person, not the team." He explained

She smiled at his use of the endearment term but then frowned at his serious tone.

"All right then, well at least I'm prepared," she told him while going for a hug.

"You have no idea how ugly it can get," he said, engulfing her in a tight hug as if trying to protect her. "Did you get through that when you arrived?" she suddenly asked feeling his pain.

"Yeah a little bit bus as soon as I scored for their team it was over. The thing is you're the enemy AND the girl that took me away from Brazil," he added.

"Yeah, double punishment I guess." She mused, "Yeah well they better get used to see me score then, I'm not going to be scared, let them booh all they want I'm here to win not to please them." She confidently told him. He was impressed by her confidence. He was going to kiss her when the door opened.

"There you are!" the coach said. "Off to the field, now!" she ordered.

When they exited the room, both teams were ready to officially enter the field. Sanae saw Daiara giving a wink to Tsubasa. She rolled her eyes at that. Was this girl for real? Tsubasa stopped her and gave her a thorough kiss as if encouraging and shutting the other one up. Sanae could not help but grin like a maniac. He then winked at her and left for the commenting studios up the sitting areas.

She then turned to her team and told them "all right girls get ready to slaughter them!"

Right after the national anthems, she had to shake hands with Daiara who still had that smirk on her face. "Yeah, smirk all you want witch not only is he mine, but I'm going to leave that stadium with a golden medal around my neck!" she thought smiling.

But after a couple minutes, she realized Tsubasa was right, it was indeed ugly. As soon as her foot touched a ball the whole stadium was shaken by powerful booos. But since she had been warned about it, it did not have the effect they wanted.

The Brazilian team was really good and they had a hard time keeping up with them. They scored first and Sanae quickly took the ball with her to place it in the center of the field to start another attack. Right at the end of the game she managed to score enabling the Japanese team to access prolongations. The Japanese team celebrated their luck under thunders of boos from the public. There were a couple Japanese fans but they were not loud enough to cover it. The girls choose to thank them by going to see them and waved at them before going back to the locker room.

They quickly changed their clothes to put on new shorts and jersey and tried to settle down for a few minutes. Their coach was there to advise them on their tactic. They really could win this! They just had to keep going on with their game and stay focused.

Unfortunately it was not enough. They had to undergo the horrible penalties session. Sanae knew it was part of the game but she hated it with a passion. She had always thought it was unfair. Both teams were at a perfect equality; the next one that would score would win the game and become Olympic Champion.

It was her turn. If she missed Brazil would win at home. She sported a much focused look despite of all the nasty noise the public was doing in order to shatter her concentration. She suddenly turned around to face the Brazilian crowd and put her finger on her closed lips as if telling them to be quiet. She smiled and turned back towards the goal keeper. The boos intensified but she didn't care. She knew what she had to do and she smiled again imagining his face when he'll see it. She gave a powerful shoot and transformed it in his trademark Drive Shoot. And it ended the game. They were Olympic Champions.

Just before her teammates could reach her and celebrate, she once again turned towards the Brazilian public and put her hand behind her ear as if saying "can't hear you guys". That'll teach them ! Only then she allowed herself to celebrate. Oh she could not wait to see him! But surely he had to stay at his commentator's cubicle.

Olympic champions ! She suddenly felt herself fall on the grass being hugged by so many of the girls. She had a stupid grin even though suffocating. They then started to run towards their supporters to thank them and she finally spotted him on the side, talking to a camera, microphone in hand. A Brazilian journalist approached him and gestured towards her. She could see he clearly was annoyed. The cameraman seemed to be pissed even because obviously Tsubasa was giving a live comment. Finally the Brazilian guy gave up and made his way towards the silver team.

Sanae hesitated a moment before making her way to his side. Another Japanese journalist had joigned him to maybe she'll be able to talk to him and celebrate. Tough luck though as he immediately spotted her and gestured for her to come and see them animatedly talking towards the camera.

"Nakazawa-San is joigning us." He announced. "So tell us Captain Nakazawa, how does it feel to get the victory goal?" he asked. She blushed and answered "obviously wonderful. It's an important moment for the Female Japanese Football", she then seriously added.

"Brazilian newspapers had your name all over their front page today, what do you think is going to happen tomorrow?" he asked again. Uhm, she hadn't seen that one coming. "I guess they'll celebrate their team's achievement, a silver medal is great." There she had avoided the touchy subject.

"How long have you been practicing Oozora's Drive Shoot?" he then pushed. "A good couple months I'd say," she started, then she looked at Tsubasa, "I've had seen him doing it for the longest time in fact." There, the decision was his to take. Oviously the Japanese journalist was expecting a confession from them.

"Did you know that Japanese football journalists are calling you the female Ozora back in the country?" the journalist praised. Dear God, she didn't know she could go any farther in her blushing but boy was it worse now. She heard him chuckling. "Ozora Tsubasa, our special commentator is here with us and was impressed by her final goal, tell us about it" the journalist said making the cameraman filming them both now. "It WAS impressive, I had no idea she could achieve it," she started, "I'm so proud of you," he directly told her, his eyes unmistakably full of love.

Blushing alert, I repeat, blushing alert! Dear Lord they were on a roll!

"You guys seem pretty close, right?" the journalist pushed.

Oh he did NOT dare! Tsubasa blushed as well. Ah! Serves him right! She sighed. "We've known each other since we're 10 years old," she said trying to save appearances. Tsubasa seemed to make a decision; he looked at her as if telling her "it's all over the news anyways …"

"Sanae and I have been dating since I've been back from Brazil". He formalized. "OOOOOH," the journalist answered. "So maybe we'll soon have two Captain Ozora for Japan!" the journalist joked as Tsubasa was putting his arm around Sanae's shoulders. The journalist then turned back to face the camera and ended the interview.

Sanae was then called to get her medal with the team and Tsubasa winked at her signaling he'll be waiting on the bench.

He so damn proud of her, she had been the master on the field today, braving a hostile public, getting rid of a jealous opponent. And that Drive Shoot she performed, just WOOHOO ! He stood up and applauded as Japan was celebrated as the new Olympic Champion and all the girls got their golden medal. He even put his hand on his heart as the national anthem sealed the deal. Damn, he could not wait to celebrate with her. He had booked a suite in a luxurious hotel in Rio that he knew and wondered how she would take it. He carefully checked that the suite had at least two rooms. He really wasn't sure this was a good idea at all but he had acted on his instinct, feeling they had wasted enough time.

Yep, he definitely could not wait, for this celebration, and for their future. That double Captain Ozora idea was really good.